1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a battery electric vehicle including a high voltage traction battery and electric powertrain. The invention further relates to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle of the type including an internal combustion engine, a high voltage traction battery, and a hybrid electric powertrain.
2. Background Art
In a battery electric vehicle, the vehicle may be plugged-in to an electrical supply to charge the high voltage traction battery. The vehicle includes a charger to convert household or industrial power supply alternating current (AC) to high voltage (HV) direct current (DC) to charge the high voltage battery.
In an existing hybrid electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain includes a vehicle system controller (VSC), an internal combustion engine, a traction battery, and a transmission including a motor-generator subsystem. These components form a powersplit powertrain, and the VSC may control the components in an attempt to maximize fuel economy. In a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the vehicle may be plugged-in to an electrical power supply to charge the high voltage traction battery. Similar to a battery electric vehicle, the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle includes a charger to convert household or industrial power supply alternating current (AC) to high voltage (HV) direct current (DC) to charge the high voltage battery.
The vehicle-included chargers for battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are either air cooled or liquid cooled. For air cooled devices, forced air, typically via a fan, flows through an inlet duct or opening and across the cooling fins of the charger. The air is warmed as it removes heat from the charger and typically exhausted outside the vehicle via body mounted extractors. External make-up air enters the cabin through natural leakage paths or via the heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) unit.
When an occupant enters the vehicle during cold external ambient temperatures, the cabin is typically cool. Preconditioning allows the driver to warm up the cabin to a more comfortable temperature before they enter. Preconditioning, in a battery electric vehicle, uses energy from the high voltage battery to power a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater. In the case of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the engine might also be turned on and heat drawn from a more conventional type of engine cooling system.